Could Liverpool become the new Invincibles?

When it came, the explanation made perfect sense. “Altior doesn’t look like Altior,” Nicky Henderson said as he explained his decision to rule his stablestar out of the Grade Two Unibet Silviniaco Conti Chase at Kempton on Saturday, a race which was set to be his first start since surrendering his 19-race unbeaten record over obstacles when beaten by Cyrname in the Christy 1965 Chase at Ascot in November.

In annexing Cork and Munster championship victories, they have already shown battling qualities. The hope now, is to continue that march into the All-Ireland series.

What What did we learn from the Christmas racing period? Lots we already knew, and a few things that we should have known.

Towards the end of our conversation, Nemo Rangers goalkeeper Micheál Aodh Martin is asked what it would mean to get back to an All-Ireland club football final.

On St Stephen’s Day, Shane Ross issued a tweet that encapsulated his career as a Government minister. It caused much offence and some anger.

A man charged in connection with a ‘pile-driver’ attack in Cork city over Christmas is likely to face more serious charges.

It’s a career that has produced five All-Ireland titles between club and county but Joey Holden would be the first to admit it hasn’t run smoothly.

Jose Mourinho says Tottenham’s defensive calamities have left him feeling sorry for his attacking players.

With the Christmas festival blitz in the rearview mirror, the focus now turns to a new decade and 2020 promises plenty. Here Darren Norris highlights 10 dates not to be missed

Seamus Coleman has been in football long enough that very little surprises him any more

Sometimes you have to go through hard times to truly appreciate good ones. Just ask Jack Kennedy.

Christmas was different, very different. It only really dawned on me how different as I strolled through Dublin airport on St Stephen’s morning at 7.45 rather than 5.45.

At the end of a tumultuous year for the Irish football, delegates will on Sunday face into a third emergency general meeting of the Football Association of Ireland in 2019.

It's that time of year again - when people push aside the remnants of the selection box and walk off the Christmas Day excesses by barrelling around the St Stephen's Day sales.

A basketball tournament that began in a converted ballroom 50 years ago today has attained national and international acclaim not because it attracted many of the sport's luminaries but because it never forgot where it came from.

There’s a brilliant day’s racing to look forward to, with quality racing spread across the 10 meetings which are scheduled to take place in Ireland and Britain.

Putting aside angels-on-a-pinhead arguments about the actual year in which a decade expires and a new one commences — is it January 1, 2020, or 12 months on in 2021 and, anyway, who really cares? — what we hope will be the peace and quiet of St Stephen’s Day brings an opportunity to reflect not only on the country’s 2019 but also on aspects of the Dáil’s less-than-adequate performance since 2010.

Superb racing in Limerick and Leopardstown on St Stephen’s Day as their respective four-day festivals get underway, and there is also a good card in Down Royal.

Munster defence coach JP Ferreira is the first to acknowledge that Faf de Klerk and Craig Casey are at contrasting points in their careers but he can think of nobody better than the World Cup winner for the young Limerick scrum-half to follow.

St Mary’s’ bid to complete the six-in-a-row of Jack Murphy Cups will have to wait until the middle of January at the earliest, as Dromid Pearses secured a late draw with two Niall Ó Sé frees during six minutes of added time in the Kerry SFC final at a bitterly cold Portmagee yesterday.

There was good news this week for Irish racing fans with Racing TV revealing it would have a dedicated channel to show Ireland’s three meetings on St Stephen’s Day.

If you look around us, the trees are without their leaves, animals are hibernating, farm animals are kept indoors, flowers have gone to seed, and aside from us humans, everyone and everything else seems to have got the memo to slow down, writes Joyce Fegan.

Last Sunday was a blustery day, a status orange weather warning was in place for a lot of west and southern counties but in racing the only storm was over the TV coverage Irish racing got last week.

The battleground for the way Premier League football is consumed will be re-set on today as Amazon Prime begins

Last Saturday I went to Haydock to watch Eight And Bob run in a valuable three-mile handicap hurdle, he being owned by the Act D Wagg syndicate of which my wife, Gillian, is a member.

I wonder if children had a choice, would they prefer if we got our act together to tackle climate change or bought them an array of presents from a bumper toy store, asks Joyce Fegan

A man was called out of his house at Tory Top Rd during the Christmas holiday last year and was punched and bitten by a man who also threatened to burn him out of his home.

The eight-year-old surrendered her unbeaten record over fences when going down by a length and a quarter to Kalashnikov at Aintree on her final start last season but that was her sole defeat in five starts in the 2018-19 campaign.

A sport has to unite to showcase itself, and there remains plenty of scope for improvement in that department in horse racing.

A voluntary worker who has assisted the elderly for decades has urged the public to watch out for their neighbours after the body of a pensioner lay undiscovered in a house on the northside of Cork city for at least seven months

In his 10 years as an inter-county manager, Kevin Walsh has never known anything like the “relentless” spate of injuries which have plagued the Galway squad this season.

Galway captain Damien Comer has been ruled out of Sunday’s Connacht SFC final against Roscommon.

The right side of defence isn’t the most alluring of sectors on a teamsheet but all eyes will gravitate there when the first starting XI of Mick McCarthy’s second stint in charge of the Republic of Ireland is released today.

He’s a winning machine on the brink of equalling a modern-day winning sequence — so why has three-time Cheltenham Festival winner Altior yet to fully capture the public imagination?

Marks & Spencer is expected to report another fall in underlying sales in both clothing and food in its Christmas quarter, while the major grocers are forecast to show a slowdown in growth as the discounters march on.

Almost two years ago to the day, Jack Conan faced the media and attempted to make something clear.

From wine to after dinner beverages, Leslie Williams unveils his drinks menu for the festive season.

Don’t feel like cooking this Christmas? We’ve compiled the very best festive stays — so you can check in and chill out.

It is remarkable to think it is only a little more than six months since Jordan Larmour announced himself to the rugby world with a brilliant solo try for Leinster at Thomond Park.

Carol O’Callaghan takes a trip around the shops to see what discounts are on offer to finish off a home interior project.

Here was one of Jose Mourinho’s finest Manchester United hours, certainly of this season, and one that could have far-reaching implications for his club, and perhaps, England.

Jose Mourinho has dismissed concerns over Marcus Rashford’s lack of game-time as the World Cup approaches, putting the ball in Gareth Southgate’s court by saying the forward will be selected if the England manager trusts him.

With a newly inked contract in his back pocket and a pep talk from Andy Farrell fresh in the mind, Sam Arnold was in a perfect position to reboot his season in the bonus-point win over Zebre at the weekend.